Carrying Fred Rogers’ Message Forward in the Digital Age

This summary features highlights from the report Technology and Interactive Media for Young Children: A Whole Child Approach Connecting the Vision of Fred Rogers with Research and Practice, issued by the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College and the Technology in Early Childhood Center (TEC) at Erikson Institute.

In 2012, less than 2 years after Apple released the iPad, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College (FRC) released the joint position statement, Technology and Interactive Media as Tools in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8 to provide guidance to the field. With the rapid emergence of tablet computers, media were designed, developed, and created for young children for use on mobile platforms at break neck speed, often backed with very little or no cognitive and educational research. At the time of the literature review, there was little empirical research about how these new technologies and media could/would impact young children’s lives.

ABOUT US

The legacy of Fred Rogers guides everything we do. From the beautiful simplicity of modeling nurturing interactions with young children to the thoughtful use of educational technology, we learn from Fred's timeless wisdom and approach.